How To Take Boudoir Photos

Many people come to this site wanting to learn how to take boudoir photos and finding the information they need within the posts and examples given here. Which is what we do here, discuss how to take boudoir photos. However there is another way of learning to take boudoir pictures and that way is to learn from one of the many eBooks we offer here at Boudoir Photography Poses. There are many guides, instructional videos and eBooks available here but we will touch on several of the really good ones we highly recommend.

The Art of Boudoir Photography with Speedlights – $14.95

This eBook is 74 pages FULL of instruction diagrams and images to help you get the hang of taking boudoir photos quickly. Michael Zelbel has put together a full instructional boudoir course in one eBook and it’s ONLY $14.95. For $14.95 you could learn a new trade in itself in Boudoir Photography and earn a living or close to it if you follow the simple instructions, tips and trick in this boudoir photography eBook. There’s also a posing cheat sheet included in this package that will help you out in times of memory loss when you need a pose in a pinch. The other thing this eBook talks about is using speedlights for the lighting instead of full on strobes or monoblocks. Who wants to lug around a ton of equipment when you can get the job done with one or two speedlights? This eBook also comes with a 60 day money back guarantee.

Some of the things covered are:

1. The right lighting gear and lenses for a bedroom
2. Lingerie and clothes which work vs. things that do not work
3. Lighting setups which deliver the best results
4. Poses for every model, from standard to creative
5. How to find the best camera angle
6. Photographic composition
7. Common mistakes to avoid

A visual preview of this eBook is here:

How to take boudoir photos with speedlights

Inside Preview

Boudoir Posing Cheat Sheet

This is a great book to learn boudoir photography in a pinch. Well covered topics with diagrams for lighting and strobe placement as well as angle and composition.

Click HERE to see more.

 How To Take Boudoir Photos with Ed Verosky

Boudoir Photography – The Quick Start Guide for Professional Photographers – $29.95

This ebook by Ed Verosky has everything from advice from other professional boudoir photographers kind enough to share their working experience and tips to Step-by-Step techniques for great images and lighting diagrams and layouts. The content is updated, expanded from his other books and formatted for your computer and looks amazing on your iPad in this big 100+ page eBook! This one’s also printer-friendly so you can make your own cue cards or posing cheat sheet! This eBook also teaches How To Take Boudoir Photos.

Click HERE to see more

How To Take Boudoir Photos by Ed Verosky

Re-Creating Famous Boudoir Photography Poses – Marilyn Monroe Red Velvet

When in the business of boudoir photography you will run into some clients who want to re-create famous images of movie stars or other prominent figures. For whatever reason they have you should try to accommodate these wishes. These images are usually for private use and can also be a fun shoot for you and your client especially if you pull it off. One such famous set of boudoir poses is the Marilyn Monroe poses on Red Velvet. I had a client who wanted to re-create two of these poses and we used a red satin sheet to do it.

These boudoir photography poses aren’t hard to re-create but getting the client to hold the pose for a short length of time can be some work. Then getting the pose just right as in the pictures being re-created, that’s another story. This is Sandee Betty on red satin re-creating the Marylin Monroe boudoir session on red velvet.

A red satin sheet for the background and the lighting used was a 500 watt Fresnel hot light from an old movie studio. The light was placed high and to the right of the camera, very close to the center line of the photographer to minimize the shadows. The lights are hot and intense and light up the whole scene thus giving it an old pinup type feel. Some desaturation of some colors and saturation of others also helps to re-create the old film feel.

Re-creating Marylin Monroe Red velvet

Re-creating Marylin Monroe on Red Velvet

Read more about Boudoir Photography Poses HERE

Boudoir Photo Poses for a Single Light Source

If you are like many just starting out in a small photography business or hobby you don’t have all the money in the world to start buying equipment, let alone lighting. Here are some lighting techniques and boudoir photo poses that work well with just one single light. Typically a single light source can deliver very impressive, dramatic photos because single source lighting can be very dramatic. Here is where new photographers should start, with one light. Practice your boudoir photo poses with one single light for a while, then move onto two lights and so one.

One single light can be a monoblock strobe or a speedlight, it really doesn’t matter, they can both be accomplished easily and effectively. A softbox is recommended for both styles of lighting from a monoblock or a speedlight, and speedlight softboxes as well as larger softboxes for strobes can be purchased from Amazon.com.

Softboxes soften the hard edge of a single light source to give a nice fall off and soft edge to the shadows of the single light photo. Softboxes can also be made to imitate natural light of the sun coming through a window. Of course you don’t necessarily need a softbox to accomplish this, dramatic hard edges can be desirable at times. The dramatic lighting style of one light source is often used to accentuate body shapes and body scapes.

Boudoir Photo Poses for a Single Light Source

Here are some boudoir photo poses and images of models with a single light source. Many of the images have tight cropping and may not include a face. Images like these, as mentioned in previous posts, can be sold for stock imagery. There is no face to define/restrict the picture so a viewer can insert whatever face they want with a little imagination. Sometimes this is good if you intend on selling your images to other places beside the client who wanted the boudoir photo shoot.

Photo with a single strobe and softbox used to imitate natural lighting

Single, directed strobe for dramatic lighting

Single strobe lighting

Single strobe lighting for boudoir photography

Single strobe lighting for boudoir photography

Boudoir Photo Poses for a Single Light Source

Something you may notice in the #3 image above, the lines in the models skin from her undergarment. another good idea for your clients is not to wear tight restrictive clothing the night before or the day of your boudoir photo shoot. Have them drink lots of water too, this helps with garments leaving impressions in the skin and lessens the amount of Photoshop you will have to do on the images.

Notice how the single light and angles of that light are used to accentuate curves and body parts. Women want to remember their appearance years later and will want to see how good they looked. The same goes true if they are giving these images to their prospective groom or boyfriend as a gift, they want to look their best so accentuating what they have is always a good idea.

Another good idea is to have on hand a deck of card or a flip book of boudoir photo poses to have on hand at shoots for the client to practice and you to keep in case your memory fails you. Also have a list of the top 5 boudoir photo poses to use in case all else fails.

Boudoir Photography Ideas For Valentines Day Sessions

Valentines day brings about many boudoir photography ideas and brainstorms. Not only is it a great holiday for making extra cash from easy to do boudoir sessions, but it is  also one of the easiest holidays to shoot for as far as props are concerned. Florists raise their prices and it’s one of their biggest selling days of the year too. The same goes for chocolate candy companies and lingerie companies. One thing we want to stress here is less is more and simple is always better.

Boudoir Photography Ideas For Valentines Day Props

The props we typically use on Valentines day shoots are boxes of heart shaped chocolates, red roses and any number of heart shaped additional props that can be found and bought from a multitude of places. Plan on having several different styles, shapes an sizes of heart shaped chocolate boxes on hand as well as a few dozen roses. Try to get the roses a day or two ahead of your big shoot day.Usually the roses get de-petaled or trashed while being used for the boudoir shoots for Valentines day, so we have plenty of extra around. Also have several sets of red satin sheets if you use a bed for the boudoir sessions. They compliment a Valentines day shoot and can be ordered from Amazon.com.

One of our typical boudoir photography ideas we do is we usually have a Valentines boudoir shoot special where we line up a few shoots and knock them out in a day or two day shooting period. This way we can lump 3-4 shoots into one day and make a better chunk of money.

Take a look at the following picture. Usually we use maybe one or two props in a shot at the most, two or more is getting cluttered and looks fabricated or forced. For this reason we say that less is more and simple is better. In the following picture the client has on a piece of pink lingerie, red satin sheets, a box of chocolates and a bunch of roses. A little too much for our liking and you can see why we try to use only one, maybe two props in one shot.

Boudoir Photography Ideas for Valentines Day

Boudoir Photography Ideas For Poses

The following images are some boudoir photography ideas you can use on your shoots and can expand on. Each are a variation of the Top 5 Boudoir Photography Poses.

This image is a high key white background and utilizes a big blow up heart. What more than a heart says I Love You on Valentines day? That matched with her red shoes and outfit make a nice shot for a Valentines Day gift.

Boudoir Photography Ideas

This next shot is simple and enticing. An apparently innocent young lady giving an provocative look while sucking on a lollipop. I nice tilt of the head and the revealing top give a nice image.

Boudoir Photography Ideas

Our next image is simple and makes use of a single red rose. The revealing top is a nice touch to the image for a nice Valentines day shot.

Boudoir Photography Ideas

This shot below is one that could be sold as either stock photo or poster stock. There is no face showing which means anyone can use their imagination and put anyone’s face in the picture. For this is is good fantasy poster stock.

Boudoir Photography Ideas

The next image is similar to the above as it doesn’t depict the face of a person, the face is obscured and can also be a poster stock type shot. As well as a great shot for any client. a single red rose, again, makes the shot and connects it to Valentines day. A beautiful subject in teh background out of focus is enticing indeed!

Boudoir Photography Ideas

This shot we can do several ways. Here it is done topless and a thong underwear. It can also be done completely nude, with or without a sheet covering the bottom. The rose petals are a nice touch to the image and a look of mischief on the subjects face is sure to make a statement.

Boudoir Photography Ideas

As you can see when we say less is more and simple is better, these images are a good start. Use these images to start your own collection of boudoir photography ideas for Valentines day and other holidays as well. Just one or two well placed props is all you need to be set for a SIMPLE yet EFFECTIVE boudoir shoot. Remember, boudoir photography is about attitude and perception. You can’t get that no matter how many props you have in the shot, it’s all a matter of working with the model to get that proper atmosphere.

Read For More Boudoir Photography Ideas

Boudoir Photography Poses For Shy Clients

You will encounter at some point in your career as a boudoir photographer a client who wants her pictures taken in a nice stylish way, but who is utterly shy of showing off her body. Boudoir photography poses for the shy client are specifically for this type of client and are geared more towards obscuring the image a bit and leaving more for the imagination, as well as making the client feel comfortable about what she is doing.

There are many reasons a client may feel uncomfortable about showing her body to a total stranger, let alone just feeling comfortable showing off her body to any person. They sometimes have reasons for doing boudoir photography, maybe as a reward for losing some weight, or they just ended and bad relationship or marriage and want to feel like a woman again, or any number of other reasons other than a present for the groom on their honeymoon. It is IMPERATIVE you are mindful of the unspoken reasons and to not push your clients too far or too much. To make sure she is as comfortable as can be and is comfortable with you as the photographer.

A great FREE eBook on the topic of Photographic Therapy is Rolando Gomez’s eBook called “Photographic Therapy“. It’s free and I highly suggest you get and read it.

Boudoir Photography Poses – No Face Shots

Some boudoir photography poses that you can use for shy clients are shots where the face it not show at all, such as the following leg shots. They’re still sexy, still beautiful but they aren’t showing the clients face. This is good to start as it may help the client to get at ease and start to warm up. Some clients may worry their pictures will show up on the internet somehow, and they may, IF they give permission. If they do not give permission then by all means DO NOT use them on your website or any place else. This is trust thing and if they can’t trust you, who can?

Obscuring the face or not showing the face at all is a way to make the image one that a person can insert themselves into the picture.

Boudoir Photography Poses For Shy Clients

Leg shot for the shy client, no face

Boudoir Photography Poses for Shy Clients

Boudoir Photography Poses – Obscuring the body but showing the face

The next two shots are showing face but showing little body or obscuring it greatly. The first image is a client who has her clothes still on but has her top pulled slightly down off her shoulder to reveal a bra strap. Staring off into the distance giving the impression she was not aware of the photo or candid.  While not showing much body, it does SUGGEST getting ready to undress or unveil. Remember that showing little can also be more when the mind is brought into play.

The second shot is with the use of a mirror. A client is slightly out of focus close to the camera but is in focus in the mirror on the wall. Sometimes the mirror is like a protective shield for the shy client and these boudoir photography poses can help a shy client feel much more comfortable, thereby letting them to slowly open up on their own accord.

Showing the Face but not the body, using the imagination

Using the protective shield of the Mirror.

Boudoir Photography Poses – Showing the Face, Obscuring the Body

As your client warms up and becomes more comfortable in front of the camera she may wish to show more face and obscure the body a bit. The boudoir photography poses that follow show how to show the face but obscure the body. The body isn’t completely obscured but enough that the client will feel comfortable. Focusing more on the face than the body the photographer can use hand placement, a turned back or depth of field to obscure the body from view but still leave enough revealed for the person to be satisfied with the images.

Using depth of field to obscure the shy clients body

Hand placement to obscure the body for the shy client

A turned back to obscure the body for the shy client

Go here to read more about Boudoir Photography Poses

Bridal Boudoir Photography

Bridal Boudoir Photography is quickly becoming nice side avenue and a legitimate business for both boudoir photographers and wedding photographers.  Soon to be brides want to have some Bridal Boudoir Photography done as a gift to give to their future husbands on their honeymoons. So it’s no wonder that it’s a growing and lucrative business. Wedding boudoir is typically done with parts of the wedding dress, or undergarments of the wedding dress as a provocative view for the future husband. Sometimes the shoot is done in studio, and sometimes in a hotel room or where the bride may be getting ready. But not all bridal boudoir photography has to be behind closed doors.

Bridal Boudoir Photography at Destination Weddings

If the bride and groom are going to be having a destination wedding such as in Hawaii, the bride may go to the beach with a skimpy boy short outfit and part of the wedding attire such as the veil. Easily done with a bathing suit as well, any number of beach style attire can go with a bridal veil as a prop for beach style bridal boudoir. Even is you find a secluded part of a warm water beach, the bride could even go into the water about waste or almost chest deep and do a nude shoot with the veil and the bottom half of her body under water with her upper torso showing, that is if she’s up for it.

Bridal Boudoir Photography as Side Job

This style of  Photography can be a nice addition to your repertoire of shooting styles for weddings or your boudoir photography business. Small specific niches in the photography business are fast becoming the wave of future photography businesses. With the global economy causing massive competition in markets such as photography one must get creative and find an under served niche in the market and hit it hard. Creating a website for your photography business and listing what you do is critical to business, and listing one more item such as Bridal Boudoir Photography can bring in that extra money needed to stay in business.

Boudoir Photography can be as innocent or as risque as the bride wants. There are no restrictions to Bridal Boudoir Photography but just remember to respect the brides limits and wishes.

Bridal Boudoir at a Destination Wedding

No limits to the imagination

Getting ready or ready?

Soft and Innocent

Sometimes the bride will use very little in her boudoir session

Above all else make sure it's fun for all

Simple props as the wedding veil make the shot

Bridal Boudoir Photography

Read more at Boudoir Photography Poses

Boudoir Photography Poses for Christmas

‘Tis the season to be jolly and make lots of money…Falalalala la la la la… Or something like that. Boudoir Photography Poses geard toward a holiday or holiday themed boudoir shoots are a great way to 1) make money, 2) grow your client base, 3) make new awesome boudoir photographs to show new clients who want great pictures of themselves. It can be a fun time and it can really make you some good business. In fact it can make you all the spending money you need for the holidays.

Boudoir Photography Poses With A Theme

Who wouldn’t like waking up to a stocking stuff with there girlfriend or wife, dressed up like a candy cane, or a naughty elf or Santa’s naughty little helper? You can do all kinds of boudoir photography poses and there are a ton of props you can use that are simple and effective. Props like a giant stocking, Santa’s bag full of goodies, a Christmas Tree, a Fireplace, and even just a single gifted wrapped Christmas present held in the palm of a hand. With these extra little props on hand great boudoir photography poses are easy to come by.

Themed Boudoir Photography Poses Make Money

Holidays, especially Christmas, are great times of the year for themed boudoir photography poses and boudoir photo shoots. Ladies like to give their boyfriends and husbands intimate photos of themselves to spice up their love life, as a special gift and for brides to be the wedding night gift to their newly wed husbands. It doesn’t stop there, think about it, this is one way for a partner to plant the seeds of an idea in the mind of their lover or spouse and really get things rolling. This can be a time of great money making opportunity as well as a new portfolio and new clients. Having just a few props on hand can really make a huge difference and set the stage for some great shot of holiday themed boudoir photography poses.

Have a Boudoir Photography Event

One way of making money with the themed shoots is to have a planned event. Hire a Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist for the day and charge a nominal fee for the clients. This is a day of pampering and fun. Have snacks on hand and plenty of drinks, but I would suggest non-alcoholic drinks. The ladies come and have their makeup and hair done, so they look their utmost best, and then they get a cool custom boudoir photo shoot in a themed outfit or setting and then they’re done. Line up 4-6 ladies for the day and go home with a pocket full of Christmas spending money.

Charge $300 per lady for the experience and pay the Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist $300 for the day and you make yourself $1200 for a day’s worth of shooting. But don’t forget your editing time and any print credit you may give. There’s also the opportunity for the ladies to purchase more prints which is a photographers bread and butter.

Who wouldn’t pay for some of these boudoir photography poses and shots?

Look what Santa Left Under The Christmas Tree

Stocking Stuffers

Christmas Morning Presents

Santa's Bag of Goodies

Santa's Little Helper

 Read more articles about boudoir photography poses here.

These boudoir photography ideas came from a woman who found out she was going to have a baby. This image is just a body part, namely the nice looking breast of a woman who wanted to have something for after she was pregnant. She wanted something to remember herself by from before her pregnancy, because of the body changes that happen during and after pregnancy we decided to shoot several images of her breasts. This is one of them.

In this image we decided to make the breast look wet and while water was the first choice to do that, it just didn’t work the way we wanted. We wanted water drops and the water would just run down the breast and disappear. What we ended up doing was adding corn syrup to the water to make it thicker but so it still ran a little. We also wanted a water drop to sit there hanging off her nipple like it was ready to fall at any second.

The lighting was done with a single fresnel hot light to the right side of the model with a white bounce card to the left of the model to open up some of the shadow. The resulting image is the one shown and it was named “Ripe With Morning Dew”

There is something appealing to a breast that is wet and dripping with sweat or water that makes the imagination run…

Lighting Diagram for shot and final image…

Buodoir Lighting Diagram

Ripe With Morning Dew

Boudoir Photography Ideas

Here is a list and images of some Boudoir Photography Ideas. I know myself included, sometimes during a shoot I have a blank mind and can’t for the life of me come up with any ideas for boudoir photos. So I’ve compiled a list of  ideas and images to match those ideas for us to look at and share with others.

Boudoir photography ideas come to me all the time, in many places throughout the day.I carry a pen and pad to write these down as they come to me, otherwise I WILL forget them. You will too, I guarantee it. So here’s a list of boudoir photography ideas for you to use.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas you have too so we can add them tot he list. Please comment below.

10 Boudoir Photography Ideas

1) His Shirt

There’s something sexy about a woman wearing a mans shirt. This is a great idea and prop, a white button down men’s dress shirt, especially if it’s her mans shirt, and if he’s a corporate type guy.

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Mans Shirt

2) Location, Location, Location

Location is everything they say, even when it comes to boudoir photography a great location can really make a shot. Here the model is in a broken down old train car in the desert. Sort of exciting and dangerous being nude int he desert. A beautiful model set against the rustic decrepit old train car.

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Nude in the Desert

3) Pearls of Wisdom

A great idea and a great prop are pearls. Something about a woman and her pearls…use your imagination.

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Pearls

4) Role Playing or Fetish

Sometimes a little naughty play or role playing can be fun and stimulate the imagination. It can also invigorate a couples sex life, especially if it’s something out of the norm. Can you believe this young lady is actually 36?

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Role Playing or Fetish

5) His Favorite Team or Sport

Knowing that you pay attention to him, even when he’s engrossed in his favorite sport on those Sunday afternoons is a great way to show the man in your life you care. What more could say this than to pose with a jersey or prop from his favorite team or sport?

Boudoir Photography Ideas - His Favorite Team or Sport

6) Legs and Shoes

There’s something about a woman’s legs in heels that can set a man on fire. Some men have a leg thing, some have a shoe fetish, some like thigh high stockings…Either way showing just the legs or a body part can be all it takes to start a fire.

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Legs and Shoes

7) Stockings and Bare Feet

Stockings and bare feet are sight. Some men like fishnet stockings, some women like the way they feel. Who care’s let’s go fishing!

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Fishnet Stockings

Handcuffs

I always keep a pair of handcuffs around. Sometimes a client will want to make a visual statement, or a suggestive one to their partner via the imagery of handcuffs. Their cheap, their easy to use and they get the job done.

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Handcuffs

9) The Corporate Ladder – Corporate Setting

Fantasies of the corporate secretary have entered the minds of many. A little role play can be a good thing, and how to set that stage is with a simple prop, like an executive chair, a pair of sheer black stockings and a pair of black high hells dangling naughtily over the arm of the top executives chair.

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Corporate Setting

10) The Bathrobe and Bare Shoulder

A simple idea and set is to have the client with a bathrobe on, drop the bathrobe off the shoulder to expose some flesh. A little or a lot. Also leaning/hiding behind a semi closed door, the bedroom door maybe? I think you get the picture?

Boudoir Photography Ideas - Bare Shoulder

I hope you’ve enjoyed the 10 boudoir photography ideas, if you would like to add your own or leave a comment we’d love to hear from you below.